Utah State University DigitalCommons@USU All Graduate Theses and Dissertations Graduate Studies 5-2015 Ego-Identity and Long-Term Moratoria: Associations with College Attendance and Religious Volunteerism Mark A. Jackson Utah State University Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.usu.edu/etd Part of the Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons Recommended Citation Jackson, Mark A., "Ego-Identity and Long-Term Moratoria: Associations with College Attendance and Religious Volunteerism" (2015). All Graduate Theses and Dissertations. 4615. https://digitalcommons.usu.edu/etd/4615 This Dissertation is brought to you for free and open access by the Graduate Studies at DigitalCommons@USU. It has been accepted for inclusion in All Graduate Theses and Dissertations by an authorized administrator of DigitalCommons@USU. For more information, please contact [email protected]. EGO-IDENTITY AND LONG-TERM MORATORIA: ASSOCIATIONS WITH COLLEGE ATTENDANCE AND RELIGIOUS VOLUNTEERISM by Mark A. Jackson A dissertation submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY in Family and Human Development Approved: _____________________________ ______________________________ Randall M. Jones, PhD Scot M. Allgood, PhD Major Professor Committee Member _____________________________ ______________________________ Troy E. Beckert, PhD E. Helen Berry, PhD Committee Member Committee Member _____________________________ ______________________________ Kay Bradford, PhD Mark R. McLellan, PhD Committee Member Vice President for Research and Dean of the School of Graduate Studies UTAH STATE UNIVERSITY Logan, Utah 2015 ii Copyright © Mark A. Jackson 2015 All Rights Reserved iii ABSTRACT Ego-Identity and Long-Term Moratoria: Associations with College Attendance and Religious Volunteerism by Mark A. Jackson, Doctor of Philosophy Utah State University, 2015 Major Professor: Dr. Randall M. Jones Department: Family, Consumer, and Human Development Ego-identity development has long been regarded as an important developmental process for late adolescents. According to existing literature, ego-identity achievement, or committing oneself to a set of identity components after having explored viable identity alternatives (e.g., in matters of relationships, political philosophy, etc.), is conducive to a wide array of positive outcomes for individuals, families, and entire communities. The objective of this study was to examine the extent that college experiences and participation in LDS missionary service (i.e., moratorium experiences) were associated with ego-identity development, specifically in terms of identity exploration and commitment. A sample of late adolescents (N = 425), all of whom had participated in at least some college and of whom 122 had volunteered as LDS missionaries, provided information about their moratorium experiences that could be related to identity development and reported their levels of identity exploration and commitment according to the Extended Objective Measure of Ego-Identity Status (EOMEIS-2). iv Independent-samples t tests and chi-square tests were used to examine demographic and identity differences between LDS postmissionaries and LDS non- postmissionaries. LDS postmissionaries and LDS non-postmissionaries differed significantly only in the variables of sex and age. Univariate ANOVA and regression were used to examine the extent to which college and missionary service were associated with overall identity scores. Both college studies and LDS missionary service were significantly associated with the four EOMEIS- 2 subscale scores of diffusion, foreclosure, moratorium, and achievement. The two moratorium experiences differed significantly in the magnitude and/or direction of their prediction of identity outcomes only in moratorium and foreclosure scores. Both experiences were similarly positively associated with achievement scores and negatively associated with diffusion scores. Stepwise linear regression was used to examine the extent to which certain features of college studies and missionary service were associated with identity scores. After controlling for age, sex, income, and years of education, numerous features of the two experiences, such as motives for participation, funding, frequency of weekly experiences, and learning a foreign language were significantly associated with identity scores. College features shared the greatest amount of variability with diffusion scores, and mission features shared the greatest amount of variability with foreclosure scores. (183 pages) v PUBLIC ABSTRACT Ego-Identity and Long-Term Moratoria: Associations with College Attendance and Religious Volunteerism by Mark A. Jackson, Doctor of Philosophy Utah State University, 2015 The objective of this study was to examine the extent to which college experiences and participation in religious missionary service for an extended period were associated with ego-identity development, specifically in terms of identity exploration and commitment. A sample of late adolescents (N = 425), all of whom had participated in at least some college and of whom 122 had volunteered as LDS missionaries, provided information about their college/missionary experiences that could be related to identity development and reported levels of identity exploration and commitment. Results indicated that LDS postmissionaries and LDS non-postmissionaries differed significantly only in the variables of sex and age. Both college studies and LDS missionary service were significantly associated with the four EOMEIS-2 subscale scores of diffusion, foreclosure, moratorium, and achievement. The two moratorium experiences differed significantly in the magnitude and/or direction of their prediction of identity outcomes only in moratorium and foreclosure scores. Both experiences were similarly positively associated with achievement scores and negatively associated with diffusion vi scores. After controlling for age, sex, income, and years of education, numerous features of the two experiences, such as motives for participation, funding, frequency of weekly experiences, and learning a foreign language were significantly associated with identity scores. College features shared the greatest amount of variability with diffusion scores, and mission features shared the greatest amount of variability with foreclosure scores. vii ACKNOWLEDGMENTS I could never fully express my appreciation for the direction of my major advisor, Dr. Randall Jones, throughout the process of completing this dissertation. I am grateful for his patience with me as I sought to adapt to an everchanging list of scholastic and personal demands. I benefited in extraordinary ways from his timely and professional feedback, from his extensive knowledge and expertise, and from his dynamic guidance. His encouragement and support carried me through the completion of my dissertation and through many other formative experiences of the past five years. He has become a trusted mentor and a treasured friend. I likewise express gratitude to the other members of my supervisory committee, who were always willing to provide thorough and candid feedback about my work. All of the members of my committee donated many hours of their time for my benefit. Their unique expertise and their collegiality were vital throughout this process. My greatest debt of gratitude I owe to my darling wife, Mikelle. Mikelle has ever been my greatest source of encouragement. She has displayed unyielding faith and confidence in my ability to complete this project successfully. She has patiently sacrificed countless hours and days to support my efforts to fulfill all of the requirements for my degree. Her kindness and love have been unparalleled through this experience. She is my hero, my rock, and my very best friend. Our precious children, Emma and Daniel, have been my constant inspiration to do my best. The joy that they have brought me throughout the execution of this project has brightened my spirits on countless occasions. viii I thank my exceptional parents, David and Sharon Jackson, and my living grandparents, Warren and Joan Widdison, for always believing in me, for teaching me and inspiring me, and for exercising great faith on my behalf. Their work ethic, their example, and their devotion have been instrumental in my personal and professional development through the years. Finally, I thank the indescribably wonderful family of my wife, Mikelle. These dear people have provided me with cherished companionship and unparalleled support while I have lived more than a thousand miles from my own parents and siblings. Especially Mikelle’s parents, Curtis and Susan Dickson, have invested immeasurable time, effort, and money in the wellbeing of our little family throughout my graduate experience. They are endlessly generous in every aspect of their lives, and I could never thank them sufficiently for their monumental role in my life. Mark A. Jackson ix CONTENTS Page ABSTRACT ....................................................................................................................... iii PUBLIC ABSTRACT ........................................................................................................ v ACKNOWLEDGMENTS ................................................................................................ vii LIST OF TABLES ............................................................................................................ xii LIST OF FIGURES ........................................................................................................